Fluid handling device



July .7, 1959 R. S. WADDINGTON ETAL FLUID HANDLING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Feb. 28, 1957 Br WMiimfid Atlorney 5 FiledFeb. 28. 1957 y 7, 9R. s. WADDINGTON ET AL 2,893,444

FLUID HANDLING DEVICE 2 Sheeizs-Sheet 2 823: w Inventors Bruce Duval yWM,XM6 Attorneys United States Patent O 2,893,444 p FLUn) HANDLINGDEVICE 7 Roger Strange Waddington, Epsom, and Bruce Duval, 1 p Ewell,England Application February 28, 1957, Serial N. 643,129

40mins. (01. 141-89 V v The present invention relates to devices forfilling containers with liquids. An object of the present invention isto provide a device for filling a container with a liquid, withwhichdevice any tendency of the liquid to foam as it is'filled into thecontainer. may be minimised or sub-.

stantially eliminated. .Various types of container-filling devices areknown in the flu'idpacking industry and many of these devices arecapable of filling containers at very highspeed. Their use at high speedis normally however restricted to use 'with liquids whose foamingproperties are negligible. i

. According to the present invention there is provided a device forfilling a container with a liquid, which device comprises a liquiddelivery tube provided with a liquid exitopening at or near one of itsends and a closure operable to open and close the opening by movementrelative' thereto, the arrangement being such that the closure may bemoved relative to the opening while the tube is positioned protrudingthrough the mouth of a container with its said one end the openinglocated within the container.

With the said tube positioned through the mouth of a container of suchsize that the liquid exit opening is located within the container at aposition near the bottom,

thereof and lying under the surface of liquid already pres ent in thebottom of thecontainer, further liquid may be forced rapidly through thetube and out of the liquid-exit opening to emerge as a rapid streamwithinthe body of liquidalready present without coming into turbulentcontact'with the air being displaced. Any tendency for it to foam isthus minimised or substantially eliminated. This state of affairs is ofcourse obtained at its best, if the tube is completely filled with theliquid at the beginning of the forcing of the further liquid. Even theamount of foam produced by a small quantityof air can be troublesome ifthe container is required to be filled completely or nearly so.

' The quantity of liquid required to cover the liquid exit before rapidforcing is begun, is preferably placed in position by flowing it slowlythrough the tube i.e. the container is preferably filled in a two stagecycle comprising a low speed phase followed by a high speed phase. Whenthe requisite amount of fluid has been filled into the container, thedevice may be withdrawn without air entering the tube by operatingthesaid closure to close the opening while the said opening is stillbelow the surface of the liquid, closure of the opening in this mannerhaving the additional advantages of preventing the residual content ofthe tube draining in the container when the liquid exit opening israised above the surface of the liquid thus facilitating the supply of aprecise quantity of liquid, eliminating the effects of a prolongeddripping of liquid from the inner wall of the tube, and leaving the tubecompletely full of liquid in preparation for the next filling cycle.

It will be apparent that the length of the tube should be such that itwill reach to when the bottom of the containers of common commercialsizes. The actual z liquid-exit. opening is opened when the tube israised and ICC length of the tube will of course dependon the type ortypes of containers with which it is intended to he used. If any but thevery smallest commercial containers are to be used the tube should be atleast 6" in length: preferably the tube is given a length of much morethan 6" e.g. a length of from 18" to 30 or even longer e.g. 40" so thatit could be employed with a wide variety of commercial containers suchfor example as the common onegallon, two-gallon and five-gallonnecked-cans commonly used for packing petroleum products such as motorspirit and synthetic detergents, or for other liquids such asdisinfectants, insecticides and the like many of which, as now sold,have a pronounced tendency to foam. Cans of this type usually have theneck displaced to one side; consequently the tube, when inserted throughthe neck places the liquid-exit opening near the wall of the can. It isfound that the highest rates of filling can be obtained with the presentdevice only when the said liquid-exit opening is formed to give emergentliquid a direction have a major component perpendicular to the axis ofthe tube. With this arrangement the emergent liquid fans outhorizontally near the bottom of the can and sets up a circulation whichis substantially non-turbulent at the surface. On the other hand if theopening is formed to direct the liquid at the bottom of the can, it isfound that a strong stream rises vertically up the wall of the canadjacent to the tube and tends either to shoot out of the neck or thecontainer 1 or at least to produce turbulance and foaming. In eitherevent the rate of feed has to be limited to a valve, which althoughhigh, is nevertheless significantly lower than that permissible when theopening is formed in the preferred manner.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the closure isprovided in the form of a sleeve reciprocable over the outside of thetube. This arrangement is found not only to be particularly convenientmechanically but also, especially if the end of the sleeve remote fromthe said one end of the tube is enlarged to provide a cup, to preventliquid which has adhered to the outside of the tube dripping back intothe container when the tube is withdrawn, best results being obtainedwhen the sleeve and the liquid-exit opening of the tube are so arrangedthat the sleeve can open and close the opening without having itself toenter the liquid to any substantial extent and therefore remainingsubstantially dry on its outer surface. In a convenient arrangement thetube is provided in the form of a pipe which carries at its end asleeve-closure adapted in one position of the sleeve to provide anabutment for the sleeve and to seal the bore of the sleeve, thefluid-exit opening being constituted by a clearance between thesleeve-closure and the end of the pipe. The sleeve closure and thesleeve may for exam ple be formed with complementary seating surfaces,the

sleeve-closure being mounted upon one end of a stem the other end ofwhich is pivotally secured Within the pipe. It is found that thisarrangement, when using complementary frusto-conical seating surfaces,wherein the pivotal connection of the sleeve-closure with the remainderof the tube provides the sleeve-closure with a floating action, whichfacilitates the seating of the sleeve-closure at the end of the sleeve,is highly satisfactory in use, practical tests having shown thatprolonged repeated operation equivalent to that encountered over a longperiod of commercial packing on a large scale fails to produce anyobservable degree of failure of the sealing action.

Whatever arrangement of tube and closure are adopted the device ispreferably mounted for automatic operation vertical motion, means beingprovided for moving the closure relative to the fluid-exit openingwhereby the closed when it is lowered. The means for moving the closuremay take any convenient form; for example a closure operable by rotationmay be mounted at the end ofa sleeve whichisautomatically rot-ated'by anappropriatecam-or keyway asthe tube. israised'and lowered. With areciprocable' sleevehaving; a loose fit upon the tube. and abutmentmeans. serving-'to prevent withdrawal.

of the. lower endofthetu'befromthe sleeve it is convenient to provide a.stationary' abutmentfor limiting; downward travel of the sleeve andthereby causing'thet fluid-exit opening. to be pushed away from thesleeve as the tube is lowered.

Although the rapidity with 'whichcontainers may be filled using, anyconvenient device as provided by the present invention. is inherently sogreat as to render the device acceptable even when the fluid supply hasto be regulated manually i.e. to. give asmall rate of flow until thefiuid exit opening is covered and then a rapid rate of: flow, it. isconvenient toprovide the tube with a; fiuid supply apparatus adapted:to'regulate the rate of fluid In. one convenient arrangement the flowautomatically; fluid supply apparatus. incorporates a boost pump of theimpeller type. A small rate of flow may be obtained by passing liquidthrough the pump-in the inoperable state eg from a gravity tank and therequired high rate of flow subsequently obtained by bringing the pumpinto action. This arrangement provides a very rapid change over from thelow rate to the high rate.

For purposes of illustration there is given the following description ofa filling machine incorporating a preferred form of the device in whichdescription reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings- Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically the delivery tubeand sleeve of the present invention disposed in the feed position;

Figure 2 is a similar diagrammatic view illustrating the position of thedelivery tube at the point of withdrawal;

Figure 3 is similar to Figure 2 and illustrates the delivery tubewithdrawn fromthe container, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the complete fillingapparatus.

Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, the device showntherein consists of a cylindrical sleeve 1 enlarged in diameter at itsupper end to provide a cup 2 and formed at its lower end 3 with a femalefrustoconical seating surface. An apertured bracket 4 which isadjustablein height, fits loosely round the sleeve 1 and supports the sleeve bythe underside of the cup 2. Through the sleeve 1 passes a looselyfitting pipe 5 cut diagonally at end 6 just below which is supportedfrom an internal cross member 7, by means of a stem 8 pivotally securedto said cross member, a sleeve closure 9 in the form of a disc formed atits periphery with a male frustoconical seating surface 10 complementaryto the female frusto-conical seating surface 3. The top end of the pipeis connected with a fluid-supply apparatus generally indicated by thesymbol S in Figures 1 and 2, the nature of which apparatus will be clearfrom Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4 the pipe 5 is adapted to be suppliedvia a solenoid-operated valve 11 with liquid arriving from storage e.g.in a gravity tank via a pipe 12, thence through a centrifugal pump 13provided with a three-phase electric driving motor 14, a pipe 15, aclose-down valve 16, a filter 17, a flexible connector 18, a three-wayvalve 19 and a flexible connector 20. A pipe 21 enables, when valve 19is appropriately placed, liquid to be circulated through the liquidsupply apparatus (other than the valve 11) and back to storage so thatthe fluid-supply apparatus may be cleared of air without passing liquidthrough the pipe 5.

The electrical circuit of the motor 14 incorporates a starter relay 22the control circuit of which incorporates a delay switch 23, a manuallyoperable switch 24, a plunger switch 24a positioned to be actuated by apro;

jection 24b, and a mercury switch. (not shown) associated with beam 28of a balance, the platform 29 of which is located at an appropriatedistance below the bracket 4 to enable a desired container 30 to bepositioned as shown in Figures 1 to 3. The action of placing a containerunder pipe 1 rotates the crank 25 and thus activates the safety switch.

To provide forraising and lowering thepipe 5 together with valves 11 and19 the said pipe and valve are carried by a bracket 31 adapted-tobe-clamped in appropriate position upon a rack 32 manuallyoperable by ahand wheel and pinion 33 the upper end ofv which rack carries projcction24b. An adjustable rubber buffer 34 serves to limit the upward travelofbracket31.

A stop 25a carried by a crank 25, which also carries a drip-funnel 26drained by a waste-pipe 27, serves to prevent operation of the machinebefore a container is placed inzposition'.

In order to. prepare themachine for filling a series of containers suchasthe container 30; (Figures 1 to 3), to level L L the height of thebracket 4 is adjusted so that the lower end of'thesleeve 1 can descendto or just below said level, the height of bracket 31 is adjusted sothat thesleeve closure9 will lie near the bottom of the container whenthe tube. (i.e; pipe.5 together with sleeve closure 9 is fully lowered,buffer 34 is set so the sleeve. and tubeclear the mouth of' thecontainer when raised and weight 28', on beam 28 is set as will be shownhereinafter. The. liquid supply apparatus is then filled with liquid.With the tube raised so that closure 9 is raised clear of the mouth- 35'of the. neck of the can, the can is placed in a position on the platform29 and the tube:

lowered'by means. of the hand wheel 33. As the tube is lowered thesleeve: falls with it until the cup 2. engages the bracket 4 Furtherdownward movement of the tubebrings-the components into. therelative.positions shown in Figure 1. Projection 24b. operates the plunger switch24a, the solenoid valve 11 opens and delay switch 23 begins to operate.Initially, liquid flows slowly through the pump-13, the filter 17, thevalve 11 and down the pipe 5 to enter the container through theliquid-exit opening bounded by the diagonally cut end of tube 5. and thesleeve closure 9. Liquid continues to flow slowly into thecontaineruntil the liquid-exit aperture is covered, the. tube by thistime having become filled with liquid. The delay switch isso timed that,very shortly after the aperture has been closed, it completes thecontrol circuit of the motor which consequently begins to actuate pump13 to provide a rapid filling phase. for the container, during which thediagonal form of the end of pipe 5 ensures that the direction of thegush of liquid has a large horizontal: component. When the surfaceof theliquid has risen to just above levelL L the mercury switch opens, stopsthe motor and closes the solenoid valve 11. The tube is then raised by'means of handwheel 33. The plunger switch 24a opens. Then thecomponents. reach the relative position shown in Figure 2 the. twofrusto-conical seatings. engage one another so that the liquid-exitaperture closes. The tube is then of course open to the interior of the:sleeve but'as no air can enter via. the cup none of the liquid in thesleeve. can drain away. During the raising of the tube into the positionin which it is shown in Figure 2 the'liquid level in the container fallsslightly to level'L L. Further raising the tube carries the sleeveupwards to the position shown in Figure 3, enabling the filled containerto be. withdrawn. The liquid which adheres to the underside of theclosure 9 and the lower end part of the sleeve dn'ps quickly into thecontainer but is too insignificant in quantity to. matter. The onlyother exposed part of the apparatus which has contacted the liquid isthe outer surface of pipe 5' and liquid 36.

which has adhered to this surface collects in the cup from which itdrains into. the next container to be filled.

The slide 28"on the balance beam allows the weight to whichthemercuryswitch reacts to be adjusted, taking into account the weightof the liquid required in the container, the weight of the container andbuoyancy.

The removal of a filled container allows the mercury switch to close inpreparation for the next filling cycle.

The delay switch may instead of being arranged to bring into action apump such as pump 13, be arranged to bring into action a high pressureliquid supply provided separately from the lower pressure supply used inthe first-phase of the filling cycle or to operate a throttle-valvearranged to give two separate rates of delivery from a high pressuresupply.

It will be appreciated that various departures may be made from thespecific embodiments of the invention described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A device for filling a container with a liquid comprising a liquiddelivery tube formed with a liquid-exit opening at its lowermost end, asleeve mounted to surround said delivery tube and to be reciprocableaxially relatively thereto, a stem pivotally mounted within saiddelivery tube, a sleeve-closure member mounted upon the lower end ofsaid stem below the liquid-exit opening and adapted to engage with andseal the sleeve at the lower end thereof on relative movement betweensaid sleeve and said delivery tube to position the lowermost end thereofwithin said sleeve, means for moving said delivery tube to extend beyondsaid sleeve and into a container, and means for controlling the deliveryof liquid through said delivery tube.

2. A device for filling a container with a liquid comprising comprisinga liquid delivery tube formed with a liquidexit opening at its lowermostend, a sleeve mounted to surround said delivery tube and to bereciprocable axially relatively thereto, the upper end of said sleevebeing enlarged to provide a cup to catch and retain liquid draining fromthe exterior of the delivery tube, a sleeve-closure member mounted uponsaid delivery tube below the liquid-exit opening and adapted to engagewith and seal 6 the sleeve at the lower end thereof on relative movementbetween said sleeve and said delivery tube to position the lowermost endthereof within said sleeve, means for moving said delivery tube toextend beyond said sleeve and into a container, and means forcontrolling the delivery of liquid through said delivery tube.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said means for moving saiddelivery tube into a container is associated with an apertured bracketadapted to engage with the enlarged upper end of said sleeve to preventfurther downward movement thereof during downward movement of saiddelivery tube.

4. A device for filling a container with a liquid comprising a liquiddelivery tube formed with a liquid-exit opening at its lowermost end, asleeve mounted to surround said delivery tube and to be reciprocableaxially relatively thereto, a sleeve-closure member mounted upon saiddelivery tube below the liquid-exit opening and adapted to engage withand seal the sleeve at the lower end thereof on relative movementbetween said sleeve and said delivery tube to position the lowermost endthereof within said sleeve, means for moving said delivery tube toextend beyond said sleeve and into a container, and means forcontrolling the delivery of liquid through said delivery tube comprisinga delay switch associated with an impeller pump located within a liquidsupply line connected between said delivery tube and a gravity feed tankto provide an initial low rate of liquid flow followed by a period of ahigh rate of liquid flow through said delivery tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS288,859 Rigney Nov. 20, 1883 781,038 Warren Jan. 31, 1905 2,436,812 KerrNov. 2, 1948 2,812,919 Guerard Nov. 12, 1957

